Kabul, City In The Wind
Impressionistic documentary about daily life in the Afghan capital Kabul. Opening film IDFA 2018 and winner of the Special Jury Award in the First Appearance programme.
Dutch-Afghan director Aboozar Amini shot his first full-length documentary in the Afghan capital over three years from 2015, one of the deadliest periods in the country’s recent history. But viewers don’t see a single frame of violence on the big screen. Instead, Amini chose to focus on the human side of Kabul through the personal stories of loquacious bus driver Abbas, whose happy-go-lucky exterior conceals a darker side, and resilient young brothers Afshin and Benjamin, who somehow manage to retain a childish sense of fun in the shadow of never-ending danger. Among these impressions of life in Kabul, Amini has his protagonists talk to the camera directly about their worries and dreams – the Afghan nightmare is never far away.